Captive
by xChewy
Summary: -Sequel To Hostage- Old scars have begun to heal for the Bladers of the BBA, after several particularly nasty situations. But as it becomes apparent that someone has returned to do them in, things spiral once again out of control. Info Inside!
1. Final Destination

Welcome ladies and gentlemen, young and old, tall and short, to the sequel of Hostage! I should hope that between that story and this one, my writing talents have improved to the point where there isn't a screaming error every few paragraphs…

If you haven't met me via a PM or e-mail or elsewhere on the internet, then hello! I'm xChewy, but please, drop the 'x'. Formalities are so last century. Hostage was a long and tedious story to write, but now that I've cooled down from it, I have decided to start a sequel. The name is nothing special, just a synonym, really. But it is a glorious and anticipated Part Two!

Description: Old scars have begun to heal for the Bladers of the BBA, after several particularly nasty situations. But as it becomes apparent that someone has returned to do them in, things spiral once again out of control. Racing against time, will those involved be able to save each other? Or will this challenge prove too much?

…

That's a really lame description. =/ But give me a break, I'm trying to be vague. I'm going to try and avoid pairings as of now, but I promise (knowing me,) they'll show up sometime. So please, read on and enjoy!

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**Chapter 1 – Final Destination**

Like all good stories, this one begins with an ending. It begins with clouds, black attire, and swollen eyes. This story begins with a funeral.

And to anyone near him, it was obvious that Kai Hiwatari did not want to be at that funeral. From the wake, to the burial, to the reception, he did nothing but stare straight ahead with irritation evident in his eyes. Even when several old women approached him with their condolences, Kai hardly returned a smile, let alone a somber 'thank you'. To him, the entire function was unnecessary.

Growing tired of standing in the parlor and ignoring people, Kai moved quietly through the crowded hallways of the sea-side manor. While the adults – mostly business associates – wore black suits and dresses, Kai had carefully selected his white suit for the occasion. Several glanced his way as he passed, but his crimson eyes never once looked back. The longer he moved, the more dispersed people grew, until finally he was in a thin, silent hallway behind what he assumed to be the kitchen. The old house had grown weary with age, and beneath his polished shoes the floor boards gave a gentle creek with each step.

Kai leaned against the wall and sighed, adjusting his red silk tie. The muffled murmurs of people echoed slightly between the tight walls, and the smell of caviar and aged wine filled the air around him. It reminded him of those days as a child that he spent at similar gatherings, the adults all either ignoring him or ruffling his hair. He remembered hating it. At the memory, the corner of his mouth twitched and he lifted his gaze to the ceiling, noting that it had recently been re-painted.

"Too crowded for you?" A voice asked from the end of the hall. Kai closed his eyes a minute and took a deep breath. How had someone found him here?

Looking toward the voice, Kai blinked at the sight of him. He was a tall, young man, easily over six feet, with a black suit and a light blue tie. He looked as though he hadn't combed his hair in years.

"Valentin?"

The man smiled genuinely. "Kai."

Remaining silent for a moment, Kai allowed the newcomer to move forward and lean against the old wall beside him. As they both looked directly ahead of themselves, Kai's eyebrows lowered in curiosity.

"So what's a boy from a good family doing at the funeral of a crime boss, I wonder?"

Valentin chuckled beneath his breath. They both continued to stair at the wall rather then each other.

"I came for the wine, actually. He left his cellar stock to my father."

"Bullshit." Kai said immediately. That was one of the few things he had wanted.

"Well, half of it. Probably to spite you, but I suppose he couldn't bring himself to give it all away."

Relaxing somewhat, Kai moved a hand into his pocket and took out a small package. Without looking, he picked the cellophane wrapper off of the cardboard package and let it fall to the well-swept floor.

"He loved his wine." Kai muttered, sighing. Valentin nodded to himself and looked down at his feet before spotting the small package in Kai's hand. Studying it, he smiled somewhat.

"When did you quit?"

"A few years ago." Kai said with little interest. Using the same hand, he opened the package and pulled out a strip of the nicotine gum, put the package back in his pocket, and lifted the small white square to his mouth.

"And you're still chewing that stuff?"

Lifting his eyes up toward the ceiling, Kai nodded to himself.

"I've gotten a bit addicted, I suppose."

Valentin laughed twice through his nose. "Isn't that completely against the idea of that gum?"

Kai didn't answer. The reality was that he had seen the gum as a symbol of freedom, and it had become habit for him to chew it when he felt trapped. And in his current situation, he most certainly felt that way. After a few moments of oddly comfortable silence, Valentin sighed.

"So I've been meaning to call you,"

"Of course,"

"And I really wanted to ask about what happened two years ago,"

"I'm not surprised,"

"So my main inquiery is thus;"

"Go on."

The taller of the two felt his eyebrow twitch. Kai certainly could peeve him. Taking a breath to regain composure, he continued with uncertain footing.

"Which one of you shot Dickenson?"

Ah, silence. Perhaps the more appropriate thing to find at a funeral, but unwanted all the same. Kai chewed on the gum gently and considered the question. After a few moments, he straightened his back against the wall before slumping again.

"I'm assuming that you guessed about Tala's involvement?"

"Tala or Bryan." Came the retort. Kai smiled at this and continued.

"It was me. We both figured that it was more fitting that way."

The tall blond nodded. For the first time, he glanced towards Kai's face before looking away just as quickly.

"And who got shot where?"

Kai rolled his eyes. Valentin had always been a sucker for dirty details. Swallowing, Kai bit the gum hard between his molars and closed his eyes tightly, raising his eyebrows as high as he could while he thought.

"I got shot in the arm. Tala scraped by unharmed, much to my disappointment."

Valentin frowned. "That's all?"

"No. A friend of mine took one in the gut, if I recall, and…"

Struggling to hide the fact that he was hanging on every word, Valentin leaned forward and motioned for him to continue.

"A kid got shot in the leg."

"Yeah, I know about that. _That much_ was in the news. But that's not all of it, is it?"

Kai looked at him, finally making direct eye contact. The crimson iris of each eye seemed to quiver as he debated on whether or not he should continue.

"He died."

Valentin jumped. "Really?!"

"Yeah. He walked right out of the hospital and got hit by a train."

The excited look on the blonde's face vanished, and was replaced with a look of total annoyance. Not caring, Kai continued in a faux voice.

"Oh yeah, there were guts everywhere. Just like it Planet Terror – have you seen that movie? – Well it was a mess. The whole train derailed and it killed thousands of people. Didn't you hear?"

"Kai, I'm warning you."

"Of course you are."

They both took a deep breath and sighed bitterly, falling back up against the wall.

"So… What happened, then?"

"He got really sick. He's better now."

Valentin sighed, almost dejectedly. Kai rolled his eyes and looked down the hallway, noticing that the muffled voices had grown dimmer. Checking his watch, he smiled thankfully. The blonde spotted the silver band in the nick of time and bit his lip.

"You bought a Brequet?" He asked, almost regrettably. Kai pushed himself off the wall and started to walk down the hallway.

"I left the Pamigiani Bugatti at home."

A look of hostility flashed across Valentin's face, but Kai didn't notice.

"You know you should really try-"

"I'm not going to buy a watch just because your family makes them."

"But they're nice! Look at mine!" The blond whined, holding up his wrist and tugging at his sleeve. "Its better then some stupid Italian watch!"

Sweeping briskly through the spacious rooms of the house, Kai ignored his companion as well as he did everyone else who attempted to stop him. Out the front door, down the steps, across the large cobblestone drive, and toward his red Ferrari, Kai moved with purpose greater then he ever had. Before him, across the road and down a slope scattered with grass and rocks, the ocean stretched into the horizon and vanished against the pale sky. It was a sunny afternoon, and seagulls circled over the surf looking for some means of food. Reaching his car, Kai stopped to fish his keys from his pocket when he hear Valentin call him.

Growling, Kai looked down at the car door. The keys were already inside the lock, but instead of turning it, he turned slowly and spotted the young man on the steps of the house. He was holding something in his hand. Squinting for a moment, Kai recognized the manila folder to be part of the will hearings.

_I can't believe I almost forgot about the best part of this damn thing,_ he thought. Forgetting momentarily about the keys, Kai jogged back across the property toward Valentin, who shook his head and smiled.

As Kai's Italian shoes brushed through the grass, the keys in the car door began to sway in the wind, and as the gust picked up, they turned just slightly on their own. It was enough, however, to set off something from inside the car, and as Kai's hand grasped the package back on the front steps of the house, the expensive car exploded in a fantastic eruption of fire and scrap metal.

Everyone around provided a human reaction. At the sound of the blast, they all froze and pulled a stupid face, too startled to move. Kai was the only one to act differently, by means of a startled blink followed by him whipping around to look in the direction of the blast.

Sedan, Mercedes Benz, Range Rover… No Ferrari. Kai stared at the smoking heap of his three hundred and forty thousand dollar car. Behind him, Valentin leaned forward and blinked curiously, overcoming the surprise.

"That's probably bad…" He muttered, not looking at Kai as the shorter male turned to glare venomously at him.

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Oooooh…. Car went boom. ):

I will be starting up little comments between characters next chapter. The main thing I was to stress right now is to PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you!


	2. Card Sharks

Hello again. Here's the next chapter for you guys, fashionably late as they used to be. Sorry about that. For the month of July, I'm house-sitting with a friend. So, despite no parents, laptop and computer, junk food and no bedtime, I still have to take care of the animals and plants and house and all that. So if I can't update for awhile after this, don't hate me for it please.

Also, this is dedicated to Demolition_Girl_33236. (Did I get the numbers right?) Because she updated her story, Enough, and I feel I need to pay her back.

So, without further stalling, here's the next chapter.

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**Chapter 2 – Card Sharks**

For as long as anyone could remember, Rei had hated being late. He was on time for school, work, appointments, and even relaxed events like hanging out with friends.

Today, Rei was very, very late. So late, in fact, that as he pumped his legs harder still, he could almost hear his wrist watch cursing at him. The warm rocks of the gravel road shifted beneath his feet as he moved, but he forced himself to keep traction. Of all the times he could be late…

It was all Gary's fault, really. The elder had insisted on building that shed, and Rei couldn't let him do it on his own; Gary's shoulder had never really healed right, and it was obviously painful for him to do much work with it. Rei had stuck around to help him, and before he knew it he was twenty minutes late. And it took a grand total of twenty minutes just to walk to his destination from there.

So, perhaps Gary wasn't to blame. Perhaps no one was. But it didn't help that he had gotten so involved with it all. Twisting a sharp corner, Rei began his climb up the last stretch of his run. The gravel vanished beneath his feet to be replaced with a dirt road, and as he pounded along, small clouds of dust rose up beneath him. They swirled and twisted before floating away and vanishing into the warm summer air, along with more time lost. Two more steps, a sharp turn, jump over the garden, up the front steps…

Rei had to throw his hands up before him to stop himself from running smack into the door of Kevin's home. Gasping madly in an attempt to fill his lungs with much needed oxygen, he failed to notice when the door opened until he looked down and saw Kevin standing directly before him. Jumping, Rei slapped on a stupid grin and stood up straight, pushing out his chest.

"Hey! Hey there… you. What's up?"

"My cat ate part of my sweater." Kevin replied, blinking up at Rei blankly. The younger was wearing a gray and white stripped sweater, the stripes themselves larger then the width of Rei's hand. The sleeves were long and fell down over Kevin's hands, and one of them had been chewed up. Rei frowned.

"But that's your favorite sweater."

"Yeah, well, she _was_ my favorite cat." He grumbled, obviously very upset about the situation. Rei smiled and stepped it, closing the door and following Kevin into the house. It was dark inside, and eerily quite, just like it had always been.

Before him, Kevin swept across the oak floor of his home awkwardly, in the sense that with every other step, he seemed to falter just barely; the limping. He had had it since The Incident, and as time wore on and it refused to go away, the less likely it was that it would ever stop. They had all learned, in their own time, to ignore it. Asking him about it only seemed to sadden him.

Frowning somewhat, Rei kept close to the smaller form as they moved down a hallway and through a swinging door. As Rei stepped through the doorframe, he found the kitchen, with Lee and Mariah sitting around the island counter with cards in their hands, the rest of the deck between them. Both looked at Rei curiously.

"What happened to you?" Mariah asked, glancing at Kevin who pulled himself up onto a barstool across from her and picked his hand back up. Rei sat down on the forth and final chair and allowed Lee to deal to him.

"I was helping Gary build that shed. I don't know why he wants it done so quickly, do you?"

Lee shrugged. "Beats the hell outta me. Maybe he wants it to store food or something."

At the comment, Mariah rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because 'Gary eats a lot jokes' _so_ didn't get old when we were ten."

Kevin chuckled at the heavy sarcasm, but otherwise remained silent; he never spoke during these games. Why, Rei wasn't sure.

"Twenty each; no stealing extra just to snack on." Lee announced, dropping a bag of Sour Patch Kids onto the table and allowing the others to count them out. When a small pile of multi-colored sour candies sat before each player, the bag vanished from the countertop and the game began.

"Lee; got any queens?"

"Only across from me." Came the joking reply, Rei's jaw dropping in mock hurt as jeers and laughs filled the room. As the game continued on, the hands of the clock began to resume their silent motion, swirling in almost a complete circle before the bag of candy was gone. Dropping his cards, Lee glared at Kevin questioningly.

"B.S." He said, looking for some sign of reluctance. Kevin smiled and reached forward, over turning the top three cards on the pile to reveal that he had – in fact – played three kings down. Mariah and Rei both laughed as Lee grudgingly picked up the entire pile.

"I don't understand why you always win at this game." Lee growled dejectedly. Kevin just smiled and shrugged, before a small white creature leapt up onto the counter before him. Flinching horribly, Kevin nearly fell backwards off of the stool before he caught himself of the edges of the counter. Before him, his cat turned and mewed loudly.

"Moron…" Kevin whispered to himself, picking up his cat and dropping her back to the floor. When he turned his attention back to the table, Lee and Rei were trying not to laugh at him. Mariah sighed.

"It's not the cat's fault."

"She chewed my sweater." Kevin mumbled.

"That doesn't matter, she was just-"

"Do you smell that?" Rei asked, sitting up right quite suddenly and causing Mariah to stop mid-sentence. They all fell silent, spare the cat behind Kevin, who mewed loudly in panic and raced out of the room. Lee's eyes widened.

"Smoke?"

"Fire!" Mariah gasped, point down an adjacent hallway. They all turned to face it and spotted the red and orange glow on the mahogany wood paneling at the end of the hall. Kevin's eyes widened at the mere thought of his home on fire, but before he could blink, Rei and Lee were off the barstools. Rei lunged for some sort of bowl or basin or bucket, and when he would the small tub he was looking for in a lower cabinet, he filled it with water and instructed Mariah and Kevin to do the same. Lee had headed down the hallway and returned, skidding to a halt on the floor. "The whole side of the house is up!"

Kevin stumbled at the news and fell numb while Mariah and Rei rushed the water down the hall. Back and forth they went, in a blur of frantic motion, joined by Lee and Kevin once the team captain had managed to convince the youngest that he had to help too. After twenty agonizingly tense minutes, they all stood gasping for breath in what was once the living room. The black char all around the room remained damp and smoldering. The window panes had shattered under the pressure of the fire and the intensity of the heat, and while the air was baking around them, they all just stood and looked at what was in the middle of the room.

There, on the floor, a small package wrapped in charred paper sat, the once white string still tied in a bow. Lee slowly crouched down next to it and reached forward despite Mariah's hushed protests. His blackened fingers found some sort of plastic tag, and as he turned it around, their eyes widened.

_Kevin_

"It's… for you?" Rei murmured, looked over at Kevin who stood completely still beside Mariah, eyes narrowed in fear and confusion. Lee picked up the package and tossed it carefully between the palms of his hands, trying to cool it down. The paper wrapping fell off in ashy chunks and drifted to the floor as he did this, to reveal a relatively unharmed wooden box. The four members of the White Tiger team stood and stared at it for some time before Lee slowly handed the cooled box to Kevin. After a silent moment, he took it into his much smaller hands and looked down at his name, written in fine handwriting on the tag.

Using one hand to hold up the box and another to open it, he lifted the lid cautiously and peered inside, eyes widening a bit before narrowing in complete confusing. The others leaned in to see what it was.

Inside of the box lay a white plastic syringe with a long metal tip, and a stark white envelope. Kevin lifted the paper out of the box and let Rei take it from him, eyes staring hard at the medical tool as if it would help him understand why it was there. Kevin, using his index finger to peel open the envelope, withdrew the single sheet of folded paper as his teammates returned their attention to him.

On the paper, in the same print as his name had been on the tag, a short note lay thoughtfully written out. Kevin read aloud.

"You got off easy the last time. This time around, you won't… get a-… away…" He said, eyes staring at the paper in disbelief. Lee, Mariah and Rei let the words sink in slowly before they all grabbed at the paper at once, Mariah coming out the victory. She read it again out loud, and then in her head four times, and then looked up at Rei frantically.

"What is this?! What does it… what does it mean?"

As they tried to find reason in the letter, Kevin stared at the ground silently. Finally, Rei turned to ask Kevin something, and as Lee and Mariah followed suit, they all fell silent.

"Matherson." Kevin whispered, not looking up at them.

"He's back."

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Oh, boo. Not that guy again. D:

Perhaps it's odd that Kevin remembered him… but then, how could he forget? Hm.


	3. Hillside

Okayokayokay I KNOW. I'm sooo sorry this is late. I promised thecoolestmostpatientpersonever that I would update like, four days ago, so now you, (thecoolestmostpatientpersonever, you know who you are,) must write in your review **when exactly are you leaving for Europe**, so I can update again before you go!! D:

Also, as a side note, "Kathy" is only important to this chapter, not the story. OC's are no longer that interesting to me.

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The soft blue sky was bordered on all sides by the tops of tall swaying grass, shifting in the gentle breeze. A cloud drifted aimlessly far above, swirling in the shape of a malformed dinosaur. And as the warm sunlight swam through the air, alive with the sounds of birds chirping and leaves bustling, Max just stared.

His eyelids had sank about halfway down as he did nothing, enjoying the hillside that had been claimed in his name since he had arrived back in Japan. Max, as it turned out, had taken quite a liking to being left alone like this. And to the dismay of Tyson, he did it often. To lounge and enjoy the lack of responsibility was better than any other form of relaxation he had experienced… What he would give to fall asleep right there…

But, just like every day before this one, it wasn't meant to be. As he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, a shadow lumbered over him and blocked the sunlight from his face. Opening his eyes, he sighed and growled at the sight of Tyson standing eagerly over him, smiling widely.

"Max, you'll never guess what I just found out!" Tyson announced, leaning in and resting his weight on his knees. Max sat up and rubbed his eyes, allowing Tyson to sit next to him without protest. Despite him being his best friend, Max often found himself questioning why it was that he was still hanging around the dojo with him. For all of Tyson's good intentions, he could be very obnoxious.

"What?" The blond asked, studying his lap with little interest. Tyson took a contented breath and squinted up at the sky.

"Well, Hilary said that there was this little tournament near the library, and of course we don't actually need to do that because we're famous and all, but then she said that Kathy was going to be there, and I was thinking-"

Max groaned. "You're going to drag me to a local tournament so that you can talk to that girl again?"

Sheepishly, the bluenette poked his index fingers together and looked down at his own lap, unable to look at Max as the American glared at him.

"Well, yeah, and stuff…"

"And stuff."

"Yeah."

Max sighed. Over the years, he had developed a level of patience that was hard to rival, and yet when woken up for a stupid reason, even he had his moments.

"Alright." He reluctantly sighed. "When is it?"

"An hour ago." Tyson replied immediately, reviving the glare on Max's face. Tyson's eyes snapped back to his lap.

"Well I figured it would be cooler if we showed up toward the end without anyone knowing."

"Does Kenny know?"

"Well, yeah, he's kinda there already."

The blond sighed. "You're something, Tyson."

"Thanks!" Came the clueless reply.

-x-x-x-

The mob of children was suffocating. Though they had all grown used to crowds, fans, and loud noises, Kenny couldn't help but sink down in his chair and avoid eye contact with anyone. It was strange for him to be without an entourage at these events; Hilary didn't really count.

From the center of the large room, the sounds of clashing beyblades could be heard alongside the voices of spectators and battlers, all presumably watching the match. Looking away from the crowd, Kenny returned his gaze to the screen of his laptop and smiled to himself, finding solace in the pixilated front before him. Adjusting the contraption on his lap, he rested his palms on the space before the keypad and braced for some heavy research.

"We have a winner, kids! Damien has stomped Andrew out of the running and will be heading to the final round!"

The voice echoed over the loud speakers and shocked Kenny out of his newly attained concentration. Grumbling something inaudible beneath his breath, he closed the laptop and slid it into his backpack, finally giving up. Raising to his feet, he looked around and spotted Hilary, standing with her hips to one side, her arms crossed over her chest. She had met her friend Kathy – a short blond girl from Canada, who was in Japan with an exchange program – and he had a feeling that Tyson knew about her being here.

Hormones had become the bane of Tyson's existence. With an overly inflated ego because of his title in the sporting world, and faulty reasoning skills, Tyson would hit on anything with a nice face and two legs. And this girl was no exception. Continuing his sweep of the large community center, he gazed passed the bland faces of alien people in some attempt to find familiarity. As his eyes peeked through his thick bangs, he spotted a growing group of kids toward the entrance, surrounding who but Tyson and Max. The former was laughing proudly and doing everything in his power to make himself superior-but-caring. Max, on the other hand, hung back until the chance at escape presented itself. In a heartbeat he was away from the now bustling crowd, and the second he found the Chief, he was standing beside him.

"What are you two doing here?" Kenny asked, leaning toward the America so that he could hear him over the sound of the crowd. Max sighed and jerked a thumb in the direction of Hilary and Kathy, awarding Kenny a look of annoyance. The two stood there, watching as Tyson fought helplessly to make his way across the room to where Hilary and Kathy stood, trying to ignore him. Several minutes of this odd entertainment passed by before Kenny spoke.

"So, I heard from Kai earlier today."

"Oh really?" Max asked with vague interest. Though they hadn't seen him in a while, Kai had been doing a better job of keeping in touch since The Incident. The accepted theory was that Kai had officially become either paranoid, or schizophrenic.

"Yeah. I couldn't make it all out because half of what he was saying was in Russian, but he sounded angry."

Max looked and Kenny now, startled.

"Why was he speaking Russian? He knows none of us can speak it."

Kenny sighed and shrugged, returning the look. "Yeah, well, I made out something about three hundred thousand dollars blowing up, and then something that sounded very obscene, and then he told me to watch out and hung up."

After a moment of trying to make sense of the news, Max could only raise an eyebrow. "What, is something wrong over there?"

"Well, I can only assume. I've never heard Kai that angry before."

The blond nodded, and looked back toward Tyson, now flirting shamelessly with Kathy. Hilary had let him do it, and was watching with amusement.

"What do you think he meant about the money blowing up?"

Kenny sighed. "Well, seeing as everything he owns costs about three hundred thousand or more, it could be anything."

"I guess. For some reason, though I figured it was actually money."

"Yeah, imagine that; spontaneously combusting currency."

They laughed, Max shaking his head. "It would make bank robberies more interesting, that's for sure."

As the two bantered and laughed with each other, having lost focus on the crowd, they didn't notice a the people nearest to the center ring began to scream. As the cries grew louder, both friends snapped out of their lame-pun session and watched as the panic spread through the crowd like an electric pulse. In seconds, people were scrambling in all directions away from the stadium, now abandoned in the overhead lights. Confused, the two suddenly dropped the joking air and braced against the wave of fleeing people.

As the people started to thin out, Max and Kenny began to look around frantically for Tyson, spotting him with Hilary at his side. Both looked just as apprehensive as them, and Kathy had vanished.

"What just happened?!" Tyson cried over the remaining roar of panicking people as the other two ran over to them. Finally in a group, the four refocused their bewildered attention on the main stadium, just in time to here a screeching wail escape the fire alarm system; the building was being evacuated.

"We need to get out of here-" Hilary started, tugging frantically on Tyson's are. Just as the words passed over her lips, however, the wailing was cut short, and the arena in the center of the room exploded.

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Last fire/explosion, I swear. =/ I'm so ready to move on with the actual plot now! :D This story is going to get creepy and awesome now. Promise!

Kevin: Um. No, see, that doesn't work for me.

Kai: MY CAAAAARRRRRRR. D:

xChewy: Oh, by a new one you jerk.


	4. The Letter

I know, I know. It's been under 24 hours since my last update. I… have no idea how this happened, actually. There was no over-baring urge to write it, or to write anything for that matter. Eh.

BUT you guys reached the "I only update after I get 3 reviews" rule really fast, so yay! Go you! Maybe you could do that again this time?

Eh?

…_Eh_?

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"So buy a new one." Tala said, his mouth full of the sandwich he was eating. Kai growled in disgust and turned his attention back to the laptop on the counter.

"I don't _want_ to buy a new one. I want to make the asshole who blew up my _old_ one do that."

Tala was silent for a moment before he swallowed and readjusted how he was leaning on the island counter.

"Kai, if he wanted you dead, I don't think he's going to feel bad and pay you back. It's not like he key'd it."

Kai ignored the snide comment and continued to type away furiously at the over-abused keypad on the laptop. "Then I'll ruin him financially."

"Using what?" Tala asked, taking another bite, "Your super corporate Biovolt powers?"

"Go to hell."

"See you there."

As if he had been expecting it, Kai didn't seem to care about Tala's reply. Instead, he continued to click rapidly through the small detached mouse that sat beside the laptop, scanning page after page for any sort of information.

"So, did Valentin give you a lift home or what?"

Kai faltered a bit in his search before continuing. "You saw him?"

"No. But I saw his car."

"How did you know it was his?" Kai asked, frowning at the screen. Tala stood upright and stretched before leaning back in and fingering the toothpick that had held his sub together.

"The bumper sticker saying 'Fine wine and watches make the world go round' kinda gave it away." Tala said casually, tossing his hand about.

"So you saw him, then?" Kai repeated, aware that Valentin wouldn't put a bumper sticker on his SUV. Tala rolled his eyes and continued to pick and the cellophane on the top of the tooth pick.

"Yeah. Why was he there?"

Kai sighed. "Voltaire left him half his wine collection."

This, in turn, caused Tala to jump upright. "What?!"

"Yeah, well, it's only half."

"But it was mine!"

Kai said. "The man didn't know, he figured I was the only one who wanted it. You should have told him."

Tala growled. "That bastard…"

Silence ensued. With no other reason to remain in the kitchen, Tala pushed off of the counter and left Kai to mope over the loss of his car. Barefoot, he strolled into the living room of the flat, then down the hall, then passed the front door. He kept his gaze on the floor as he moved, but after only two steps out of the front hall, he realized that something had been sitting in the mail slot.

Backtracking, he made a double-take toward the small basket beside the door and found that he was right. A large tan colored envelope sat there, a perfect clean square against the old, ignored bills that were crumples beneath it. Curiously, Tala snuck across the tile and plucked it up, turning it over in his hands.

_To The Boy Missing His Car_

The fine print on the front read, raising Tala's eyebrow with each curving letter. Thoughtlessly, he began to wander back into the kitchen toward Kai.

"Hey."

"Hn."

"Letter."

"Hn."

Tala glared. "It's a ticking package, and you have twenty seconds to chose between the red wire and the blue wire." He growled, dropping it in front of Kai. "Just open it."

-x-x-x-

Kevin glared at the floor between his swinging feet. From where he said on the side of his bed, the wooden planks beneath him were cloaked in shadow, and couldn't see the look he was giving them.

Nine in the morning, and everyone was still asleep. Kevin was, by nature, and early riser, and when he discovered that no one in the Yin family was, he returned to his guest room to sulk pitifully.

The glare softened to a sad frown. With his own home destroyed by the fire, his teammates had immediately began to discuss where he would stay. It was all up in the air until Mariah and Lee's mother had learned of the news, and then without any room for dispute, announced that Kevin would be staying with them. It was awkward, walking into the kitchen in the morning to see not only his own parents, but Lee, Mariah, and their mother and father.

Standing, he came to the sudden decision that he would explore the house without anyone else awake to stop him. As he moved out of the room and own the hallway, he remain on his tiptoes as if one false move would send him clear through the floorboards. Cautiously, he descended the staircase and found himself in the front hall, where much to his meddling interest, he spotted a single envelope that had been slide beneath the front door. Curiously, he moved forward and scooped it up. It was a perfect square, tan object without a single wrinkle. The corners were pointed and sharp.

_To The Boy Who Got Away_

A rush of cold spikes shot down his spine. As if the box they had found wasn't enough... Lee and Rei had quickly decided that it was some sort of harsh prank, and refused to believe otherwise. Gradually, Kevin and Mariah relaxed as well, but his violet eyes scanned the curling script, his heart began to race again. Slowly, he turned it over and picked away the wax seal, removing the paper inside.

-x-x-x-

Kai jumped as the envelope clattered onto the keyboard. Looking up sharply, he snatched it up and glared.

"For god sakes, Tala, I'm trying to get something done and it's _very important_ that you don't-"

"Read the envelope, you ornery prick." Tala snapped, sitting down on a barstool to watch as Kai did just that. Reluctantly, the crimson eyed young man unfolded the crisp white paper from inside and took a deep breath, to read aloud.

-x-x-x-

Kevin sat down slowly on the cushioned bench in the front hall and, hesitantly, pulled the stark white cardstock paper from the envelope. Dropping the tan wrapping to the floor, he slowly unfolded it and began to read.

-x-x-x-

_Dear Addressed; _

_You are cordially invited to a gathering in honor of James P. Matherson, and his triumphant onset to the free world. In honor of said occasion, your attendance is obligatory. If you choose to decline this invitation, the termination of individuals important to your day-to-day life will become effective immediately. Refusal is not an option. The Blitzkrieg Boys are also expected to attend._

_You shall arrive at the abandoned southern entrance of Seaquest State Park, Washington, in the United States five days from now. Those who fail to arrive will be considered to have declined, and punishment will ensue. Upon entrance of the park, gather with the other guests at the fallen bridge and wait for further instruction._

_In the spirit of special interest, Mr Matherson will not wait for certain guests to arrive late, and will instead send someone to 'pick them up' despite protest. Necessary means of force may be taken. _

_It is a momentous occasion that Mr Matherson wishes to share with all of you. _

_Expecting you soon,_

_X_

-x-x-x-

Kai stared at the paper in his hands with a distant look in his eyes. Tala, who had expected it to be some sort of follow up to the funeral, sat speechless. Whatever snide comment he had created in his mind before hand was long gone now, lost with the words that Kai had just read aloud. Both remained as silent as the grave for several long moments before the shrill ring of the telephone brought them out of their stupor. Snagging it without looking away from the letter, Kai held it to his ear and spoke.

"What… What?! Why the hell are you in the hospital?!"

Tala just stared, not sure how to react as Kai listened to someone on the other end.

"It… What blew up? Who's hurt?... Tyson…. Tyson, god_damnit_, what?!... Fine… Fine… Oh, shut up, will you?"

Kai slammed the phone down. Tala stared at him with a cocked eyebrow. Silence followed, stretching out like toffee before Kai sighed and lowered the letter to the countertop. Slowly, he turned and began to walk out of the room.

"What about your super corporate Biovolt mission?" Tala called after him, frowning. Kai growled.

"If you haven't put two and two together yet, then you're an _idiot_." He spat over his shoulder. Tala narrowed his eyes, still perched on the barstool.

"So then where the hell are you going?"

As Kai vanished around the corner and down the hall, Tala felt the weight of the situation begin to drag down on him. Staring straight ahead, he did nothing when he heard Kai's reply.

"I'm going to call Rei."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

ROAD TRIIIP!

Kai: Shut up! I don't want to go _anywhere_ without my caaar! D:

Tala: Get over it, you loser.

Kai: NEVER. –tackles redhead to the ground, catfight ensues–


	5. Smoke Rings

Here you guys go… again.

HEY. HEY YOU. You should listen to Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller while you read the first part. (If you can find it.) It's the music playing on the turntable. (Trust me, it is.)

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 5 – Smoke Rings**

To Kevin, the smell of cigarettes always held a small resemblance to that of peanut butter. The stench of the things, twisting through the air disguised as smoke, would rise to the ceiling and waft about aimlessly, giving the lighting a hazy feeling. And today, in the otherwise dim study of Lee's father, the fog was particularly thick. Kevin inched his way across the dusty wooden floorboards, peering through the intricate woodwork that framed the windows for some sign of daylight. He had spent the day in his temporary room thinking about the letter he had read. It took him several times to comprehend it, as he was either in shock or in a daze. Finally decided that he had to act upon it, he had pushed off of the sagging mattress and slide down the stairs quickly, with no regard for his safety; it was an old house, after all, and like most of the two story homes in the village, the stairs had no railings of any kind.

When he skid to a halt outside of the circular doorway, he took enough air into his lungs to deprive a small country for a week before parting the beads and curtains. Inside of the study, through the haze of smoke, Kevin could hear trumpets playing on a scratchy record, most likely turning slowly on the turntable that had always fascinated him when he was younger. The crackling of the old serenade seemed to be the only thing that welcomed him to the room; from behind a large thick desk, a man sat comfortably in a tall chair facing away from him, toward a wall of old rotting books. The smell of their yellowing pages blended with the smoke and completed the illusion that Kevin had just wondered into the 1930's.

He stood there for a moment, contemplating his next move. Lee and Mariah's father had always been a stern man, finding solace only in books describing the world he had grown up in. He was old enough to be Kevin's grandfather, but then, the generations in Lee's family had always been older by a decade then Kevin's. Tracing his fingertips through the smoke, Kevin pushed himself onto his tip toes and cleared his throat.

"Elder?" He asked, his voice shattering the serenity of the room. The figure shifted, slowly, now aware of the boy's presence. In his own time, the man turned and directed his eyes down at Kevin. In his grip was a stark white envelope, opened but still seemingly unwrinkled.

"Eh-yes?" He asked, turning fully now and adjusting the small glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose. He was a large man, with jet black hair that halted only to the approaching grayness of old age. He had a strong chin and a defined nose, and about his thick eyebrows, that pale pink scar intensified his facial features. He cleared his fault as Kevin rolled back onto his heals and pushed the envelope forward hesitantly.

"This arrived this morning, sir. It was… directed to me. And I-I don't know what to make of it…?"

As the Yin elder took the thin package in his hand and looked it over, Kevin shot a glare at the floor before swiping it away. He had given thought to what he wanted to say, but it didn't seem to fit the urgency he was feeling. The silence that ensued was broken only by the skipping of the old record, still twirling under the brass arm of the turntable. Taking a deep breath, the man looked over the rim of his glasses at Kevin.

"Am I right to assume that this was sent by the man who had you shot only a year ago?"

Kevin paled. As the very mention of the Incident, he would normally fall quiet and avoid the subject completely, but hearing it from this man… Stiffly, he nodded, hating himself for how scared he looked. The man looked back to the cardstock in his hand and, with his right, brought a cigarette to his lips. Though it appeared home rolled, and likely had no modern toxins in it, Kevin still had to stifle a cough when he blew a thick smoke ring into the air toward the boy. Thoughtfully, Mr Yin motioned for Kevin to come toward him.

Moving reluctantly around the desk, Kevin stood beside the chair and bowed his head a little. It was rare for Lee's father to pay Kevin any attention, let alone this.

"I'm glad you showed me this, my boy." He started, "It takes courage to face the matter this soon. But we mustn't lose our heads over it; it won't help any. Here, take this…"

Turning in his chair once more, he plucked a book from the shelf by its tattered red spine and passed it to Kevin. "The second I mention this to my wife, she'll spin into an outrage of panic. I suggest, for your own benefit, that you retire to your room and read while I take care of the matter. At least that way you don't have to-" He paused, groaning as he heaved himself from the chair and began to move around the desk, Kevin following closely, "-hear about what happened again and again."

Kevin clutched the book to his chest and nodded furiously, thanking the elder before scurrying back up to his room. Shoving the heavy door closed, he sat down on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. Several moments of silence moved by before he heard a muffled _"what?!"_ from below. Shuddering, he looked toward the book. Its cracked cover revealed chipped black symbols, reading out _Medical Discoveries of the 20__th__Century_.

"Great." He muttered, glaring at the floor once more.

-x-x-x-

The six legs of the sugar ant worked over time to escape the offending end of the broken twig. Left and right, turn back the way it came, than turn again; nothing worked. Max stared down at it with absolutely no interest and adjusted how he was holding the stick, tapping it against the cement wall beside him. He didn't look up as the wooden planks of the bench shifted beside him.

"You okay, buddy?" Tyson asked, eyebrows drawn together with concern. The blond sighed and allowed the ant the right to live before sitting back around and placing his hands in his lap, the cast on his wrist scratching the bare skin of his other arm.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just a little shaken up."

"Yeah." Tyson agreed, nodding, "Being blown up isn't fun."

Max couldn't help but laugh. Looking over at his best friend, he did nothing to hide his toothy smile, which acted as an introduction to a fit of immature joking and laughing. For about five minutes, the pair disrupted the three other people sitting in the hospital courtyard until a shadow fell over them and shot a spike of cold up their spines.

"We're going." Kai said evenly. Without another word, he turned and began to walk down the path toward the parking lot, leaving the pair to exchange a glance before hopping up and following after.

"Seriously, is he ever going to get over his car?"

"Tyson, he just did all the paperwork to get us out of there. Don't be a jerk."

"Yeah, well," Tyson muttered, "It was just a car. It's not like he poured his life savings into it or something."

Max sighed and quickened his pace, prompting Tyson to do the same. Making it to the parking lot, Kai was just closing the driver's side door to a sleek black SUV, seemingly direct off the assembly line. The two followed suit with Max sitting shot gun and Tyson behind him. While they rolled out of the lot and onto the busy road, Kai sighed and flexed his fingers around the steering wheel.

"I have something to tell the two of you."

"What? Did you finally develop a skin condition because of the facepaint?" Tyson asked from the backseat, sitting up a little. Struggling not to laugh at his own question, he pressed the back of his hand to his mouth while Max just rolled his eyes. Kai snatched up a tin of mints from the center consul and chucked them backwards, beaning Tyson in the forehead.

"Ow! Hey, what the hell?!" He barked, gripping his face. Max shushed him.

"What, Kai?"

The Russian sighed and coasted into the next lane without signaling. No one else on the road seemed to care.

"I received a letter today from Matherson."

Max blinked and turned his full attention to Kai at these words. From the backseat, Tyson groaned and rubbed his forehead.

"Who?"

"James Matherson." Kai said in a more even tone, narrowing his eyes. "The man who was behind the Incident."

"The one who worked with Dickenson?" Max asked. Tyson's hands dropped to the sides of his seat as he pushed himself upright.

"But he's in jail!"

Kai sped up just a little bit and clenched his teeth. "Not anymore. He's the jerkoff who blew up my car."

The two others fell silent, suddenly aware that they were on unsafe ground. After a long pause, Kai growled something beneath his breath and relaxed his grip on the wheel.

"He's demands that we all go to some god forsaken state park in the US. And I don't think we have a choice."

Max looked down at his casted arm, aware now that it was Matherson who caused it. Stiffly, he adjusted his gaze out the window and watched as a cluster of small black birds erupted from where they hid in the grass of the field beside the road, fluttering into the air.

"Why not?" Tyson asked, anger starting to reveal itself. Kai looked at him in the rearview mirror.

"I'll give you the letter when we get back to my place."

"Kai," Max started slowly, looking toward him, "what about the White Tigers?"

With the exception of the gentle hum of the engine and the rolling of the tires over the asphalt outside, there was silence. Slowly, Tyson sat back against his seat, looking at Kai just as hard as Max was. The elder kept his eyes on the road, and his face almost blank. Then, after the numbers on the digital clock changed three times, he spoke.

"He's already there."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Go, Kai, go! You _hold_ that grudge, girl, you can do it!

Kai: You are by far the strangest thing I have ever come across.

Max: YOU BROKEDED MY ARM. WHY YOU DO THIS, WOMAN?!

Muah: For laughs, mostly. It'll be a handicap later on in the story, too.

Max: T_T


	6. Big Ugly Spiders

HI THERE HO THERE.

Rei is a cheery moron again. Not to be confused with his horribly developed character from that last story. Sorry about that, again.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 6 – Big Ugly Spiders**

The wind rushed over the top of the cliff and out to sea, swaying the tall green grass around him as it went. With the sun rising over the water, and light fast approaching, he focused all his energy on listening to the sound of the waves far below him. From where he sat, legs crossed beneath him in the grass, all he had to do was lean forward to get a good glimpse of the drop.

It was mornings like this that gave him a reason to rise from his bed; clear, calm, quiet, and simple. It was his father's reason for living, and he was fast adopting it. Behind him, his old bike lay on its side next to the dirt path. If one was to follow it down the slope of the cliff toward the small, unnamed beach below, they would find a cottage with a roof made of both thatching and modern tiles. The shutters had yet to be pushed away from the windows, and the clothes line was spotted with clothespins desperately trying to do their job despite the pushing of the morning breeze off the water. The lapping of the waves brought new seashells and fresh sand, almost in rhythm with his steady breathing. He could hear, further up the road, the sound of cows calling to the ocean, possibly to quiet it. Such a constant noise must keep them up all night.

This was his peace of mind. The smell of the salty air, the chill of the damp breeze… All complemented by the warm sun that slowly began to illuminate his face. With eyes still locked on the horizon, he remained in a distant state until he spotted it; up from the other edge of the world, the gray metal frame of a huge ship came into view as nothing more than a speck. It grew larger as the sun climbed into the sky, and the grapefruit hue bled from the clouds. In about twenty minutes he was able to recognize it as an American ship, a majestic iron beast armed with enough supplies to feed his entire village. It would dock at port for a few days and leave, never once offering its stock to the people of his homeland. Though he understood why, it still seemed unfair; they were humans too, weren't they? So the Germans were rampaging across Europe, so what? He needed to eat too.

"_Keeeeeviiiiin!"_ The distant cry of his mother called. He looked away from the distant ship and swept his gaze down the hill toward his home, spotting his mother at the door.

"_Kevin!"_ She called again. He waved to her, and she saw him – he _knew_ – she saw him. But she called again.

"Kevin!"

Kevin jerked upright on the bed, the book clattering off his chest and onto the floor. His eyes were wide and his heart thumped heavily for a few rounds before calming down again. _That World War II dream again…_

Mariah looked at him, her eyes narrowed.

"Kevin, why are you reading that?"

He sat up slowly and followed her direction down to the book. Its tattered spin lay dog-eared on the wooden floorboards, looking as though it were just happy to be opened after so long. He picked it up carefully and closed it, turning it over in his hands.

"Your dad gave it to me to read while he talked to your mom and my parents."

"Yeah, I thought." Mariah sighed, sitting down beside him. He looked over at her with distant eyes.

"What's going to happen?" He heard himself ask, startled by how ignorant and youthful he sounded. Mariah shrugged half-heartedly and took the book from him, flipping through its yellowed pages. There was a silence between them before the door opened and Rei stepped in, a smile on his face. It was a smile hiding worry and concern, as both Mariah and Kevin had become good at reading anything on Rei's face. Regardless, he swept toward them and plunked down on the side of Kevin opposite Mariah.

"Hi there ho there!" He said in his most sickeningly sweet voice. Kevin groaned and moved to get up, but Rei caught him by the arm.

"Hey, _hey_, now wait." Rei stumbled, laughing awkwardly. Mariah moved away a bit and adjusted how she was sitting while Kevin dropped back onto the bed heavily.

"Rei, I'm kinda freaking out right now." Kevin lied. Mariah rolled her eyes.

"You just woke up."

"Yeah, well…" Kevin muttered, "It was fear-induced sleep."

Rei shushed them both. "Listen," he began, gesticulating rapidly as he spoke, "I just read got a call from Kai and he told me that these jerkoffs sent him a letter too,"

"Rei, watch your mouth." Mariah muttered, nodding at Kevin who was looking at Rei and didn't notice.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, Kai said that they blew up his car and a stadium that Max and Tyson were at. No, its okay Mariah, everyone is okay. Anyway, Kai is convinced that they're already here, because he thinks that the 'special interest' person it mentioned is you."

He looked Kevin directly in the eye and watched him shrink back. "But the good news is that when I mentioned this to our fathers downstairs, they all-"

"You're father is here too?" Mariah asked, cutting him off. Rei nodded impatiently.

"They, they're all showing up. Anyway, when I mentioned it to them they sent out this official warning and now the entire security unit is up all around the village, and the militia is ready to roll. I mean, guerilla style. So if anyone even tries to get in we'll get 'em. So it's all going to be okay!"

A long, uneasy pause followed before Mariah spoke. "Rei…" She started delicately, "the letter said that it would use any means of force to get us there. What's stopping them from blowing the whole village up?"

She spoke in hardly a whisper, as if saying it too loud would draw forth truth in her statement. Rei held her gaze for about five seconds before sighing and sitting back.

"Kai said that he was going to do everything he could to keep this from happening. So he's called _everyone_ and their mothers to make sure things are safe. He's insisted on sending further help to us, as well."

"Why does Kai care so much?" Kevin asked, his voice drawing Mariah and Rei out of their tea-party conversation. He looked at Rei with genuine concern and curiosity, which Mariah quickly began to participate in.

"I think it's because of his car, right now. But… It might be because of how… How things turned out with Dickenson."

Silence jumped back into the room with enthusiasm that rivaled Rei's entrance several minutes ago. Finally, Mariah cleared her throat and stood. "Yes, well, be that as it may I think we should still go give him a call."

"And/or greet the hired help." Kevin added, looking out the window beside the bed. The other two turned and stepped toward it to get a view, and there was a pause before they recognized the people walking toward the house, led by an angry looking Lee.

"Bryan?!" Mariah and Rei blurted at once.

-x-x-x-

It was, in fact, Bryan and Spencer, who arrived that afternoon after a long and unexpected flight, a long bus ride, and a long hike. They stood in silence as Lee explained the situation, soon aided by Rei, and did nothing to intervene. The stage was set before them; Act I consisted of all the parents, in surprise and panic over their arrival. Act II was practically a solo for Lee, who stood and delivered a very abridged version of the events that had brought said strangers to their home. Act II was a verbal duel between Rei and Lee and their respective fathers. And halfway into Act IV, Kevin tugged on Bryan's sleeve and looked up at him curiously.

"Hi Bryan." Kevin whispered, still unnoticed by the others in the room. Bryan hesitated before responding in a hushed voice.

"Hey kid."

"Are you going to leave when they tell you too?" Kevin asked, fingers still wrapped around a part of Bryan's sleeve. The Russian raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"They're saying that you're going to leave."

"I don't speak Chinese."

"I know. That's why I'm asking you in English."

There was an awkward pause. Bryan stared at him for a good minute, hoping intimidate him into leaving, but the child-like violet eyes never faltered. Sighing, he shrugged.

"No. It'll work out."

"How do you know?" Kevin asked immediately. Bryan rolled his eyes and tugged his sleeve from the younger's grip.

"Because on our way to this friggin' hidden village of yours, we found… tracks. Of something big and metal. And it was coming this way."

Kevin wrinkled his nose in confusion. "How d-"

A scream ripped through the air from outside, effectively cutting him off. Everyone twirled to face the sound, the play coming to a sudden end as the actors dispersed and scrambled for the front door. As they darted into the chilled evening air, all they saw was the last of a vanishing crowd. Confused, they moved slowly into the opening before the house, their breathing bated. Kevin, directly on the heals of Bryan, looked in the opposite direction of the others and stared at the small wooded area, having noticed something.

"Bryan." He whispered, tugging on his sleeve again. The Russian looked down at him, and then towards the trees.

"What?"

"T-That." Kevin exhaled, just in time for a long metal arm, about a foot and a half thick, to shoot out between the branches toward them, it's grappling fingers extending. Bryan swore loudly and pulled Kevin around in front of him, only able to turn his back on the huge claw before it wrapped around both him and the neko-jin, lifting them clear into the air. Lee and Rei were the first to break out of their shock, and chased after them as the arm retracted into the trees toward a much larger metal shape. It shifted, rising up on its other three legs, (all identical to the one holding Bryan and Kevin,) and turned away from its pursuers in an almost uninterested manner.

"Kevin!" Lee yelled, his cry echoing through the forest as they ran deeper into it. The machine grew farther and farther ahead, vanishing into the dusk that engulfed them. In the distance, his voice strained and horrified, came the reply.

"_Help meee!_"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

LAME.


	7. All Aboard

You guuuuuuuuuys, you didn't all revieeeeeeeew! Whine whine nag naaaaag!

Seriously: The less reviews I get, the less interested I am in updating. I'm not trying to be a jerk; if you don't want to review, don't. I'm just being honest here people omg.

WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR ME TO SPELL 'HILARY'?! I misspelled it _every_ time I tried to type it out. My favorite one is 'hoselj'.

Yes, I learned my typing skills while driving a semi-truck over a field full of gopher-holes. Thank you for asking.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 7 – All Aboard**

There was a dull drumming noise there to greet him when Bryan groaned and opened his eyes. He was staring at a gray slate, presumably above him, as he was lying on an equally flat, uncomfortable surface. Shifting, he pushed himself up onto his elbows and looked around, unaware of anything that could help him assess his situation; time, location, physical condition. He quickly concluded that the latter was an unnecessary thing to worry about; with the exception of an aching back and a headache, he was whole and not bleeding.

He was, however, surrounded by weaved fencing, like thick chicken wire. Sitting up more, he discovered himself to be in a dog cage, one made specially for traveling. Surrounding him were crates and boxes, and finally, another cage roughly the same as his; five feet by four feet. In it was Kevin, still unconscious and facing away from Bryan.

"Shit."

Bryan attempted to stretch out his legs, but being about six foot two, he simply couldn't get comfortable. Whoever had shoved him in there hadn't given much thought to the size differences.

Awkwardly, he stretched his shoulders and tried to get some motion back into his arms. The bruising on his upper and lower back from being grabbed by that thing wasn't treating him any better then his location, which he was ready to gamble on it being a plane of some sort. And they were in the luggage cabin underneath.

"Kid." His voice seemed numbed over the sound of the plane. Not quiet, but without any echo returning to him like it would if he had been in an actual room.

"Kid, wake up." Bryan tried again, padding his pockets for something unimportant to throw at him. Kevin, however, didn't move. His back shifted gently as he breathed, but nothing more. The Russian sighed and watched the slighter male for a few moments, jealous that he couldn't have remained unconscious too. Finally, he began to look around, hoping to find something helpful.

The cargo hold was actually quite boring. The five crates were the only other thing filling it, and there was a small panel of lights on the far end so that he could see. A huge metal shape, probably storing the wheels of the plane, sat beyond the lights, and other than that everything was rounded and metal and vibrating dully. It was in that moment that Bryan vowed never to put his dog on a plane; if, of course, he had a dog.

-x-x-x-

Max could have smacked his head on the countertop until it bounced. And maybe it would, if his brain matter emptied out and made way for all the irritating words fluttering out of Hilary's mouth.

It was, of course, no surprise in the slightest that Hilary would do this. She paced back and forth in the kitchen of Tyson's dojo, flailing her hands in panic and rambling on about the potential danger they were all obviously in. 'And look at your arm!' she could cry, pointing directly at the cast that constricted Max's broken limb. He would nod and shrug and try to calm her down by saying it was alright, but she didn't seem to notice that he had said anything at all. For the next moment she was rambling again, her eyes pinched in worry, her breathing labored, her socked feet scuffing back and forth until Max was sure the floor was about to give way. However, despite all the panic and repeated worries, there was one question that kept coming up, and everyone was wondering the same thing;

"I mean, how did he even get out?! 'Maximum security', they said! 'You'll never see him again', they said! Well they were wrong, and now he's going to kill all of us!"

"Hilary, don't say that." Max tried, smiling sadly and shaking his head as if he were correcting a child about something minimal. She didn't seem to hear him.

"And the White Tigers! That man _killed_ Kevin, remember? He _died_!"

"Actually, we can blame Dickenson for that little heart-skipper… no pun intended."

This voice was new to the room, and drew the attention of both Hilary and Max. Kai strolled in, his face hard and tired, with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Hilary stopped pacing and looked at him with uncomfortable silence, while Tyson finally stood up. He had likely been thinking the same thing throughout the course of Hilary's panic, and his fists were clenched.

"Well we can't just sit around. Someone needs to show that bastard that he can't do whatever the hell he wants!"

Kai considered him silently while Hilary turned to face him in a huff.

"Tyson, no! We have to stay _out_ of this, someone is going to get hurt!"

"_Ac_tually," Kai said, emphasizing the start of his sentence to get attention back on him, "it's too late to turn down his invite. Last night both Bryan and Kevin were abducted by a large machine sent to enforce Matherson's request."

Max, Tyson, and Hilary fell totally silent now. The air seemed to stop moving, as if those in the room stopped breathing it in and out. Kai glanced down at his toes and sucked on his teeth thoughtfully. Reaching into his pocket, he fingered the package of Nicotine gum thoughtfully.

"Why was Bryan there?" Max asked quietly. Kai removed a piece from the package and unwrapped the small paper that hugged it.

"I had requested that Bryan and Spencer go to provide protection. They were only there for an hour before it happened."

The gum was in his mouth now, and he was chewing carefully. "And I got a very interesting message from the instigator himself on my phone."

The air began to shift again as Tyson stormed forward. "Let me hear it." He growled. Max came up cautiously and put a hand on Tyson's shoulder, frowning. The action seemed to calm the world champion, enough for him to let his shoulders slump. Kai just stared at him, chewing.

"You sure?" He muttered, somehow appearing totally calm. Hilary appeared beside Tyson and returned his glance with a hard look, to which he shrugged.

"Alright, fine. But if you punch a hole in the wall I'm not paying for it this time."

The phone appeared out of Kai's other pocket, and he slid his finger across the screen to unlock it. He tapped it twice and then paused, looking up at Tyson for confirmation. When met with another hard look, he played the message.

"_Interesting play! I hadn't expected to snag two butterflies in my net, but I'll make due. I'm sure there are plenty of redeeming qualities in a Biovolt student that will help with my goal. I look forward to seeing you in two days, though. May the next round be just as exciting as this one!"_

The message ended and silence ensued. No one seemed to comprehend the basic idea of the recorded voice, but Kai put his phone away regardless.

"I traced it to a throw-away phone." He offered. Max looked up at him slowly, and spoke cautiously.

"Why did he sound so happy?"

-x-x-x-

"Because it's a game, okay? Just go with it." Bryan sighed, rolling his eyes. Kevin hugged his knees to his chest and nodded slowly, glancing over his shoulder for the thousandth time.

"Okay: I have a lot of kids that aren't mine and I'm married to someone I'm not married too."

"Angelina Jolie?" Kevin muttered, his voice filled with apprehension. He had woken up to the same confusing drum of noise and headache Bryan had, only instead of his back aching, his stomach and lower chest was bruised. He fit better in the cage, being so much smaller than Bryan, and not a minute had passed where Kevin stopped thinking about what was going to happen to them.

"Close." Bryan replied, seemingly calm and collected over the whole matter.

"… Brad Pitt."

"Goal."

"Can we play a different game?"

Bryan sighed and looked away from Kevin. "Yeah? Like what?"

"Like 'try to figure out how to get out of this mess'. That's a fun one."

"We can't do anything right now, and we probably won't have a chance when we land… Depending. Just stay calm."

Silence. "You don't know that."

Bryan rolled his eyes. "No, I don't. How about 'Slap Punch or Kill'? That's a good one."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

If I ever get abducted by a giant robot and put on a plane in a dog cage, I want Bryan to be my kidnap-buddy.

Oh, the times we would have…


	8. Set In Motion

Happy belated Halloween. Celebrate all over again with this poorly-written, unedited slice of shame.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 8 – Set In Motion**

"I badly speak English, what do you want of me?"

"I want you to _friggen_ explain what the _friggen_ hell you're going to _friggen_ do!" Lee growled threatening, hardly containing himself. Mariah sat behind him on a short stool, chewing her lip nervously.

"I do not know the 'friggen'! What does this mean?" Spencer countered, a slight amount of annoyance showing through his words. He looked around at the faces quizzically, cornered and trying to find some sort of solace. Rei stepped forward and put a hand solidly on Lee's shoulder.

"Spencer," he started, his own jaw tight with confused worry, "Do you have any idea what's going on? What that robot was?"

The huge Russian blader shook his head and then stopped, a sigh gradually coming up from his lungs. "I cannot say in English."

Rei's frown deepened. "Please try. Please."

Spencer looked down at him with dark eyes, unsure whether it was pity or panic growing in his gut. After a few silent seconds of thought, he swore in his native tongue and stood upright. "There was 'robot', as you say, and it… made hole."

"'Hole'?" Lee repeated, looking up at him with blank anger.

"Yes, like… foot hole."

"Footprint?" Rei offered eagerly. The blond blinked, paused, and nodded with a half-smile, pleased with how close he had come.

"Yes, footprint. In forest. The trees were all cut up. Bryan was going to speak of it."

Rei sighed and ran a few fingers through his hair. As if the action had bewitched everyone else, the room fell silent and still. It was obvious now what they had to do, but no one was ready to step up and say it. Spencer shifted from foot to foot, wondering how much longer he would have to stand there and wait for these strangers to come to the obvious conclusion, but he made no effort in supplying it himself; he was already the enemy in their eyes anyway. Most of them probably blamed the robot's attack on his and Bryan's arrival, as if they had brought bad luck with them.

"We have to go."

From the corner of the large room, a deep and stunted voice with a heavy Chinese accent sounded out like a fog horn. About nine faces turned toward its source and found Gary sitting on the floor beside Kevin's very upset mother, one hand on her upper back. He took his time looking up at them, and when he finally made direct eye contact with Lee, he sighed.

"We have to get Kevin."

Spencer watched the reactions of the people around him and sighed.

"If anything means of it, Bryan is impossible to keep still as captive."

-x-x-x-

The shadows stretched far across the pavement of the street, leading back to the neon lights of the tavern sign. The corner bar introduced itself with a windowless door and a 'No Minors' sign, prompting caution from Hilary as she pressed against the back of her seat.

"Isn't there a more reliable place to get directions?" She muttered, glancing over at Kai as he killed the engine. He returned to the look with a raised eyebrow.

"They're the only people awake at this hour."

"I still don't see why we can't wait until morning, Kai." Max piped up. "Our plane only landed two hours ago, why can't we stay at one of these inns?"

"Because," Kai muttered bitterly, "these people are all hicks. _American_ hicks."

Max sat upright. "Hey, watch it Kai. Don't stereotype people so easily, I bet you'll find that they're not that bad."

"Oh please." Kai retorted immediately. "They're probably in their talking about their lasted hunting trip."

Before Max could rebut the statement, Kai had muttered something about rednecks and was out of the car, slamming the door behind him. The air outside was cold and damp, the pavement glistening slightly in the golden light that backed up the neon-sign. He made for the tavern, the sound of guitar and laughter growing as he neared. Reluctantly, he reached his hand forward and gripped the hand of the door, pulling it open.

If there was one thing that Kai couldn't stand, it was this stereotype. The plaid shirts, the smell of pine, the folk dancing and the banjos, the cows mooing in the distance. Whatever America wanted to make of it's Northwestern region, Kai didn't approve. As he stepped into the dimly lit tavern, however, the smell of beer and cinnamon hit his nostrils and he curiously took a step to the side.

There were oak tables scattered about, with a smooth mahogany bar stretching down the length of the large room. Behind it were shelves of glowing bottles, and the place seemed full of happy drunks. The guitar, it turned out, was a Bob Dylan song blasting over a unique speaker-system, and the laughing was coming from the majority of the men and women in the bar, all forming a crowd around two men who were violently gesticulating over something. At the same time, they waved their arms in the air and shouted "It's Dead!"

The crowd burst into another round of laughter as Kai relinquished his position of holding up the back wall. He wandered toward the bartender with determination, rolling his eyes at the commotion. The man behind the counter was one of the more muscular men Kai had seen in some time, and he was wearing a very suave pinstripe Oxford shirt. He had a towel draped over his shoulder and was fiddling around with glasses behind the counter.

"How on earth did you get here?" He asked without looking up as Kai sat down. The Russian narrowed his eyes.

"Meaning?"

"Well you obviously don't want to be here, and seeing as you lack a wedding ring, it wasn't a pushy wife. So what brought you to the middle of bumfuck nowhere?"

Kai sighed. "I have to be somewhere by tomorrow. Do you know how to get to the southern entrance of Seaquest?"

"Yeah, which one?" The guy asked, glancing up at Kai. "By the way, ordering something would be awfully nice of you. What'll it be, Vodka?"

Crimson eyes narrowed considerably. "Did your friend tell you about Russia's drink of choice while you two were cow tipping?"

"Did you pick up that attitude when Stalin took your daddy's money away?"

Kai blinked and fought a grin. There was a pause before he decided to let it drop. "It was my Grandfather's money. And I'll have a shot."

The drink was in front of him before the bartender allowed Kai to really settle into his seat.

"Now which entrance are you asking about?"

"The abandoned one."

The bartender rose an eyebrow and turned his focus back toward him.

"Can't get up there in a car. The hillside caved two years ago and the state decided it was a waste of money to fix."

Kai frowned. "Caved?"

"Yeah. You're up north now, kiddo. The ground freezes in the winter, and when the spring comes and it starts to thaw out, things get tricky. Landslides come with the turf."

"So the road is what, covered in mud?"

"A hillside's worth. But it's pretty clear where it used to be. If you go up Hills Road a few miles into the woods you'll find the signs telling you to head back."

"And on foot?"

The bartender turned fully now, pressing his palms against the counter. "Now why are you so set on getting out there? What kind of trouble could you possibly be in that drags you out here?"

There was a very awkward pause as the crowd in the other part of the tavern erupted in laughter. Kai swallowed his shot and found the alcohol to be much sharper than he imagined; almost like he were sitting in Russia again. He looked directly at the bartender and chewed the inside of his lip thoughtfully.

"How much of the road is still in tact?"

The man just sighed.

"After a certain point you can see it again. But the bridge is out too, so however the hell you plan on getting over white water rapids is up to you."

Kai set the shot glass down and nodded thoughtfully before sliding off the stool and out of the tavern, never glancing back. He padded through the light mist that had begun to fall, and climbed into the black SUV. When the door shut, he looked down the dark road that led out of town into the woods.

"Well?" Hilary asked, looking at him intently.

"We have some walking to do."

-x-x-x-

"Are your legs cramping too?"

Silence.

"I mean really, I get that you're short, but this is just thoughtless."

Nothing. Kevin refused to turn around and acknowledge Bryan. The Russian sighed and rolled his eyes, grumbling something in Russian.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to get in a little face time."

Kevin glanced at him over his shoulder. His glare, however, was weakened by the tears in his eyes, which prompted Bryan to heave an irritated sigh.

"Kid, seriously. The worst that could happen is-" Bryan paused suddenly as his ears popped at his felt himself grow lighter gradually. He looked around quizzically before he recognized what was happening.

"See? We're landing." He cried over the increased roar of the engine. Kevin reacted by burying his face back in between his knees and his chest and tensing considerably.

"On the bright side," Bryan shouted, his voice numb, "you don't have to sit here and panic much longer!"

With the expected lack of response received, the plane began to rattle just slightly, to which Bryan noted the corner of his cage was just slightly wriggling. Eyeing it closer, he found that the grating had been bent outward, probably because of his feet pressing against it. He frowned and sat up, his shoulders hunched like a threatened bird, and eyed it just in time for a loud wail to deafen him. To his left and right, the wheels began to emerge and extend outward beneath the plane. Using the loud sound to his advantage, Bryan leaned back and struck his legs against the far wall of the cage repeatedly. The sound was numbed almost entirely by the roar, but Kevin managed to pick up on it.

Four kicks was all it took. The wall popped out of its tracking and Bryan easily bent it down, finally climbing out. He stumbled, leaning against a crate for support as the plane grew closer and closer to the ground. In a hurry, he managed to pry open Kevin's cage, and turned without further thought toward something he could brace against. Looking over his shoulder wildly, he found that Kevin had just sat there.

"What are you doing?!" Bryan cried, waving frantically for him as he pressed his back against a solid cart. The roaring grew louder still. Kevin clenched his teeth.

"You're going to get us both killed!" His hoarse reply came. Bryan rolled his eyes.

"That's inevitable! At least this'll delay it, now get over here!"

Kevin shook his head, prompting Bryan to swear loudly and jump up. He forcefully pulled Kevin out of the destroyed cage, the neko-jin fighting him all the way, and within seconds of the plane landing, got himself and the younger male back against the solid crate.

In the pressurized passenger cabin of a plane, one feels a relative quake when landing. But below, where suitcases are given much less care then paying humans, not so much. The landing of the plane was like a heavy earthquake, shaking the plane violently and causing both Bryan and Kevin to cling to what they could to keep themselves from rolling to the front of the cabin. Bracing with one arm against the crate and one around Kevin's upper back, Bryan clenched his teeth and held fast until the huge machine began to slow to a cost.

There was a long pause where the two of them gradually relaxed and pulled away from each other. It was Kevin who broke the recovery by shoving a fist into Bryan's sternum, drawing forth a growl of agitation.

"The _hell?_ What's your problem!"

Kevin pushed himself to his feet and took a step back, fists clenched. "My _problem_ is that you have no idea what this guy can do, and you're treating it like a game!"

"Well I'm _sorry_, I didn't expect you to act like such a little _brat_." Bryan replied immediately, standing upright.

"What did you possibly expect me to act like?!"

"Oh, I don't know. I thought you'd be a little more eager to live!"

"They're not going to kill _me_, you idiot! Who would go through all the effort of sending a giant robot to the middle-of-nowhere-China to kidnap a kid, fly him all the way to wherever the _hell_ we are, only to plant a bullet in his head?!"

"Maybe you didn't notice yet," Bryan growled, the plane engine quiet enough now for him to speak without effort, "but that robot snagged me too."

"Because you got in the way! Think, Bryan, about what happened."

The pause that followed quickly grew awkward. Bryan felt his face fall blank as he recalled pulling Kevin around and behind him, the claw-like extremity having no time to circumnavigate him. He became the target on his own volition.

"Well we can't have that." Bryan muttered, his shoulders slumping. Kevin's expression softened and he looked down, his neck having been craned to keep eye contact with Bryan. The fear began to wander back into his heart, anxiety twisting his stomach slowly but surely.

Suddenly, the figure before him struck out toward the back of the carrier cabin, in the direction of a large door that began to whirr and open.

"Come on, we have one shot and you're not going to slow me down again."

The smaller of the two was at Bryan's heels in an instant. He could hear voices seep through the crack of the opening door as it pulled out and up, lifting into the gray light of the afternoon. Some sort of ramp had been drawn toward the entrance.

"Are you kidding me? I should have Tivo'd it-"

The man speaking, wearing sunglasses with earmuffs around his neck, stepped into the plane and turned just in time to see Bryan's fist an inch from his face. When it made contact, and the man stumbled back and fell down the ramp, there was a dull pause as confusion set in, in which the other four men watched their buddy fall down to the pavement, unconscious.

In this time, Bryan hand pushed Kevin down the ramp, punched another in the face, and slide down himself.

"Hey!" Two of them yelled almost consecutively. Bryan responded by leaning over and twisting the key in the drivable-ramp, pushing a lever, and letting the machine back up at full speed. The two fell to the pavement and remained that way as they recovered.

Cheekily, Bryan turned with a stupid grin on his face and pointed toward the woods on the far side of the landing strip.

"Run."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Oh, Bryan. The things you do on a whim.

…

MACY YOU HAVE TO UPDATE NOW OKAY? D:


	9. Dead End

HEY. HEY YOU. STARING AT THESE LETTERS.

I'm really sorry about the delay. Again. But this time, I have legitimate reason. I had completed the chapter about a week and a half ago, only to have my brother delete it in a fit of rage. From then until now, I've been bogged down with a surplus of schoolwork, and I could only work on patches at a time.

But you can read it now. I promise. Please review, so I am more inclined to update a later date. Much obliged.

NOTE: Thanks to you guys who reviewed. You do it consistently and I forget to thank you. You're my favorite readers OF ALL TIME.

Word.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 9 – Dead End**

Out of the many formula sayings his mother hand drilled into him at a young age, Kevin could recall a very specific statement; "Everyone has some good inside of them." His mother had often reminded him of it, hoping to impart some kind of wisdom, but her wise words fell upon deaf ears. Early enough in his life, Kevin had come to realize that all outlandish statements such as that one had outliers; people who didn't fit it no matter how one looked at it.

Bryan Kuznetsov was an outlier.

From his infancy on, he had never been able to comprehend the intricacies of human emotion, and often came off as distant and cold. In reality, he was blind to intimidation and fear, and found the panicked quality of others to be humorous. The manipulative overseers of the Abbey had immediately noticed this quality and labeled it under the harsh term 'emotionless', emphasizing it to the extent that he believed it; at least for a while. He had reason to, anyway; before he had been taken to the Abbey, he was often found in the dank stone cellar of his home, catching rats in small tin cages.

If he wasn't there, he could be found in the alley, using said rats to catch cats. The cats, in turn, would be tied to railroad tracks, with enough slack for them to not be gored by the freight trains that barreled through the city. By the time they finally chewed through the twine that bound them to the tracks, Bryan had already had his laugh and had left.

Now, as trees flew by in a blur of green, brown and blue, a stupid smile spread itself across the Russian's face. His chuckling was the only thing that filled the air beside the sounds of their panting. Kevin looked wildly over his shoulder for the millionth time, once again not finding anyone.

He had expected the men from the runway to make chase. Perhaps it was all the movies he had seen, or the strong influence of paranoia he had developed over the passed two years, but it confused him that no one seemed to care that they had gotten away. Swinging his attention forward, he pushed his legs hard until they arrived at a creek, its banks sloping dramatically down into the rocky water below. There they stopped, gasping for breath and listening intently. The silence followed for only a moment before Bryan pushed it into the stream.

"That was exciting." He said with a breathless smile on his face. Planting his hands on his hips and leaning back, he peered down at the neko-jin with faint interest, that same stupid smile on his face. Kevin was faster to recover from the dash and returned the look menacingly.

"You're an idiot!" He cried, making to punch him, but Bryan stepped back out of the way.

"Hey, we lost them, didn't we?" He said carelessly, shrugging. Kevin growled irritably.

"Even if we did, he have _no_ idea where we are, or how to get to help, or if they'll come looking for us again!"

The tall male sighed, the smile finally fading. He shook his head.

"Oh calm down. We'll find a river and follow it, that's all."

"That's not _all_! What's _wrong_ with you?!"

"I guess we're in Washington. I mean, isn't that what the letter said? Frick, I hate America."

"Bryan!" Kevin yelled. Before the addressed had the chance to ignore him further, however, the distant sound of barking could be heard, echoing through the trees and to their ears like foreboding whispers.

Dogs.

"Shit." Bryan said suddenly, looking around before focusing on the creek. Kevin, eyes wildly scanning the trees, didn't notice Bryan's hand plunging toward him until it snagged his wrist, and in the next instant they were down the bank and into the water. Kevin swore at the icy cold that soaked into his shoes as Bryan leapt onto the other bank, planted a few obvious footprints, and slid back down to the water.

"Stay in the drink, kid, or they'll catch our scent."

For the first time, he sounded serious. Kevin listened numbly, letting Bryan drag him along through the water. Their pumping legs made great splashes, glittering like crystal around them as they raced. After a long stretch of straight creek, it curved around a bend into a thicker area of the woods, and the second they rounded it, the barking was muffled by trees. Leaping beneath a moss-strewn grove of old roots, Bryan dragged Kevin up against him and clapped a hand over his mouth. There was a long, tense silence.

The barking was a bit closer now, but not approaching. _They're at the creek_, Bryan thought. He looked steely out between the old growth that surrounded them, straining to spot any sort of movement from the start of the bend. Kevin was breathing hard from the sudden run, shivering horribly in the freezing water.

The silence stretched for another two minutes before the barking faded all together, lost to a far part of the woods, away from them. When Bryan finally relaxed, Kevin pushed away from him and shoved out of the grove, away from the bend. Bryan scrambled after him, the thrill of the chase just starting to excite him.

"You can't honestly still be mad." He heard himself saying. "I totally saved your ass back there."

Kevin had climbed out of the creek and pulled off his shoes, trying to dry his feet with the sleeves of his gray stripped sweater. Bryan, who had been wearing thick boots, didn't seem to be much effected by the soak.

"At least we're closer to a river now," Bryan offered. Kevin shot his glare upward, his small form taking on a strong shiver.

"Just g-go away." He said venomously.

Bryan responded with silence at first, while Kevin pulled his shoes back on. Then, without warning, he scooped him clear off the ground and slung him over his shoulder.

"Sorry, kid, but if those guys catch up with me, you might be my only bargaining tool."

Violet eyes widened before the statement dawned on him. "What?! Put me the _hell_ down, Bryan, right now!"

The sound of whistling filled the air then, as Kevin struggled and swore as loud as he dared, still paranoid that the dogs would hear them and come back, followed by the men manipulating them. After about ten minutes, the resistance had died to Kevin pumping his fist uselessly against Bryan's broad back.

"I could go for some fish. You any good at fishing?"

An irritated sigh escaped Kevin's lips, and he stopped punching. After a pause, he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah."

-x-x-x-

The scene before them was familiar to Kai. The expanse of the sloping field, a bit flattened before them, was covered in tall green grass, swaying thoughtlessly in the breeze. The silence was irking and overbearing, as though someone had been screaming in agony for hours and suddenly stopped. After a long while of trying to put his finger on the feeling, he recognized it as something from back home. Something from Russia.

A dead road on a living map.

There were plenty of towns like this, scattered throughout the farming lands of Russia's countryside. They had been destroyed during World War II, and perhaps it just hadn't fit Stalin's plans to fix them. Still they stood, marked but obliterated, the shells of churches and houses standing against the sky in protest, as if they refused to vanish from the earth.

But there had been no war here, no long-lasting oppressive government to prevent the reconstruction of the road from happening. Across the large open area that stretched out in from of the group, the hollow, ominous entrance to the forest stood like a gaping mouth. It frowned at them, daring them to enter.

No one moved. No one wanted to take the first step into the promised hell that James Matherson had in store for them. They had arrived at this point, driven by the notion of saving the day and stomping out evil. But that stretch of field, and that dark forest… It had been enough to silence their eager voices.

It was quiet when Kai struck out into the open, face blank spare a hint of irritation. All it took to encourage him was the thought of his car. His expensive, innocent… gorgeous…

He frowned deeper. He was going to make Matherson pay if it was the last thing he –

"He_llo_, gentleman!" Came a sudden, piercing voice from back behind the group of Max, Tyson, Kenny and Hilary. They all turned, startled. There was a pause until it became apparently who was approaching.

Clad in unreasonably expensive clothing, the Majestics strolled up with chipper smiles on their faces. Robert was in the middle, and made his way over to Kai the second he spotted him, his hand outstretched.

"Are we all ready to do this villain in?"

Kai just looked at him, blatenly ignoring the hand. Everything he wore reeked of money, so much so that even Kai rose an eyebrow. The team as a whole seemed to carry themselves as though it were a relaxing stroll in the park. Noting that Kai was uninterested in his physical greeting, Robert dropped his hand, embarrassed.

"Is something the matter?"

The silence was filled with awkward tension as the collective spirit of the Majestics' faded. Max almost rolled his eyes, but the tension wouldn't allow it. Instead, he spoke with a tone utterly devoid of compassion or patience.

"Only everything, Robert."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I totally stereotyped Robert. Sorry, but I like him better as a cliché English aristocrat. He'll probably change. Eventually. I think.


	10. Cloudy With A Chance Of Rabies

So, guys. I'm tired of fanfiction because I don't get good feedback, and most of you expect every plot detail to be handed to you without you having to do any work. I know this doesn't apply to all of you, but it's obvious. So, I'm going to finish Captive, but it might take me longer and then that might be it. I see little point it writing stories if they're just going to go unnoticed.

But here's the next chapter. :3 Thanks Macy for showing me the Google Documents thing. I managed to create a story outline, and I already have the new few chapters ready to write. Yay you!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 10 - Cloudy With A Chance of Rabies**

"You're serious? You've _never_ done that?"

"No, Bryan."

"But I could have sworn you-"

"Have never had a threesome, yes. And I don't plan on it."

"But-"

Kevin stopped and looked back at Bryan threateningly. The Russian blinked, holding his thought before reluctantly releasing it in a sigh. They continued walking, with some effort, through the growth that covered the forest floor. The fallen trees, vines, bushes, and all those _ferns_ - if they made it to safety, Bryan promised himself he would set fire to all the damn ferns. They were scratch and itchy and crunchy and you couldn't put your foot down without stepping on one. If it were up to him, the species would be wiped from the earth; all those hippie wannabe preteens could shove it up their-

"Hey Bryan?"

Kevin's voice interrupted Bryan's train of thought and brought him back to his fern-filled reality. He looked up from the ground and made a small grunt to acknowledge the younger. He seemed to cringe each time his feet crunched a fern, the sound like nails on a chalkboard to his picky ears.

"Do you know anything about dreams?" Kevin asked. Bryan looked back up at him and stumbled some before catching himself. He realized then, quite enviously, that Kevin wasn't even looking at the ground. He was looking up toward the sky, moving easily through the thick undergrowth.

"Well, seeing as _you're_ the one from the cliche old Chinese village, I'd say you'd be better at it then me."

"But you do?" Kevin asked, hardly waiting for Bryan to finish his sentence. After a pause, the taller male frowned and sighed. "Why?"

"Well, because... I had this dream, that I was on top of a cliff... By the ocean." Kevin added, sounding a bit far off.

"Did you jump?" Bryan muttered bitterly to himself, still jealous that Kevin wasn't having as much trouble with the ferns as he was. Kevin rolled his eyes and gave him the finger. Realizing that it was better than him panicking, however, Bryan set his jaw and tried to strike the subject back up.

"Well, what happened?"

Kevin glanced down from the trees just in time to watch Bryan stumble again. "Are you going to make fun of me?"

"Ow, damnit!" Bryan growled, stopping to collect himself. Kevin kept walking, prompting Bryan to swear again and hurry up. "No, I won't. Now what happened?"

Kevin looked back up to the trees. Where he had been raised, the trees were nothing like this. These ones grew so tall, and there were no reachable branches up most of the trunk, only to have them all burst out at the top.

"I was looking out over the water... And there was this big black warship coming into view toward me."

Bryan remained silent, listening while he stalked awkwardly behind him.

"The ship," Kevin continued, "was a big steal thing... And I could tell that I was in some sort of... World War II era."

"They existed then."

"Yeah, but..." Kevin muttered, "it felt like it was really new. Like the latest lethal engineering out there."

They stopped suddenly, as he said this. Before them, the trees gave way to a wide opening. Pacing forward cautiously, they edged closer to some sort of cliff. It's high wall ran twenty feet down to a gray river, flowing swiftly away from them. On the opposite bank, a similar cliff rose up to the same hight as theirs. The slopes plunged down to the water mercilessly, slick and muddy gray.

"Can't tell you much about the dream, kid..." Bryan muttered. Both of them had directed their attention to this obvious road block. "But I'd say we reached our river."

Kevin nodded mutely before replying. "I thought it'd be wider."

The river was, in fact, only about as wide as an RV was long. They peered down into it, considering it's eddies and ripples and currents, when they were distracted by a low growl behind them.

Spinning around, their eyes immediately fell upon what appeared to be a pitbull, it's upper body lowered toward the ground in an attack-ready stance. It's lips were pulled back to reveal a fine set of sharp ivory teeth, while it's eyes radiated no hesitation. It growled louder, moving toward them slowly.

"Fuck." Bryan said so quickly that Kevin wondered if it had come from his own head. If it's presence hadn't done the trick already, then Bryan was more than willing to react when the dog lifted it's head to howl. Dipping down, he picked up a rock the size of a baseball bat and chucked it directly at the animal before it could release any sound. It scrapped passed the beast's hip, hardly damaging him at all.

"What the hell?!" Kevin snapped, taking a half-step back. Bryan was far ahead of him, turning and snagging him by the elbow before bursting into a run in the direction of some thick bushes. The dog was on their heals almost instantly.

"That or it howls!" Bryan cried, shoving violently through branches that tore at his jacket and slapped across his arms. He moved like a bulldozer, the dog getting tangled in the branches as they retracted back, hitting it straight on. Still, it barked viciously and pounded after them. With wide eyes, Kevin pumped his legs and struggled to keep up.

"There!" He suddenly cried, shoving his arm in the direction of an old fallen tree that had landed precariously over the river. It was thin, but their only option, as it bridged the gap between the two banks. Hurridly, Bryan shoved toward it dragging Kevin with him. Skidding to a halt before the roots of the log, he hoisted Kevin up and shoved him along the trunk before climbing up himself.

The crossing was extremely slow. Years of fog and rain had warn away most of the bark, and what was left was soggy enough to melt under their shoes. The rest of the wood was in a perminant slick state. Even Kevin, raised to overcome nature's challenges and blessed with a natural sense of balance - like the rest of his team - held his breath and pushed out his arms, teetering across it. Half way out, the dog managed to claw it's way onto the log, growling awkwardly and crawling forward. Bryan shimmied faster, urging Kevin to move.

"Go!" He cried, the dog moving faster than he did. He could have groaned, had he not been so focused on staying upright. Kevin bit his lip and took a deep breath before leaping from the log to the far bank, just making it. His weight dragged him forward, causing him to fall over, but the second he got his bearings he turned back for Bryan.

As Bryan slid across the log, the dog made a desperate lunge at his ankles, it's jaws thrashing and sending strands of saliva flying. The motion, so violent for such an unstable surface, jerked the log to the left. Bryan gasped somewhat and swore loudly, flailing his arms to keep his balance. When the dog did it again, however, the timber jarred right and slid, suddenly, from it's position on the far bank. It ground down the cliff, with both the dog and Bryan still on board.

"Bryan!" Kevin cried, his voice echoing through the small river canyon. He dove forward, throwing out his hands for Bryan to grab onto, but he was already in the water. For several horrible seconds, Kevin's eyes scanned the gray murk in a panic, pleading for something to surface. The log burst upward first, bobbing violently before steadying out and floating quickly away. Then the dog, who began to paddle and whine toward some rocks on the shore. Finally, Bryan's pale head burst out of the gray water and shook violently. He gasped, opening his eyes and mouth wide for a moment.

"Bryan!" Came Kevin's second cry. The Russian looked up for him wildly and spotted him, safely on the far bank. Though Kevin wasn't sure, he could have sworn Bryan had smiled.

"I'm alright, kid!" He replied, thrusting an arm out of the water and waving. "I'll be fine! You need to keep moving!"

"No!" Kevin practically begged, jumping to his feet and chasing Bryan along the bank. "I can't be alone, he'll find me! I'll die!"

"No you won't!" Bryan cried, growing farther and farther ahead. "Just follow the river, remember?" Bryan bobbed for a moment, trying to keep above water. "I'll meet you there!"

"Wait! _Bryan_!" Kevin pleaded, just as the addressed vanished around the river bend. Kevin slowed to a stop, eyes staring toward where he had last seen Bryan. He was breathing hard, shivering in his clothing - it was still damp from the creek.

"Come back..." He muttered, panic swelling up inside him again.

-x-x-x-

"I'm hungry..."

"You'll be dead if you say that again." Kai growled, shooting Tyson a warning look. Along with the Majestics, they sat perched on he protruding remains of a bridge. The old stone shot out over the water before dropping violently, where a heavy flood had torn it's way through the middle of the bridge. On the other side of the river, the rest of the bridge started up again and continued down to the road they were supposed to be on.

With Hilary's help, Max has made a small fire to the side of the bridge. They sat around it, tense and chilled and bored.

It was Johnny who finally verbalized what everyone was thinking. "So how the hell do we get across?"

Silence answered him for a while. Finally, Kai took a turn. "No one is prepared for swimming, so I guess we'll have to either construct something or find another way across."

"But the letter said very specifically to come here. Why would he make us come here if we were just going to leave?" Kenny asked, looking up and down the river. They were at the peak of a bend, and it vanished around a turn in both directions, out of his sight.

"Maybe he's going to meet us here." Robert offered gravely. Kenny seemed to shrink down at the words, and a similar reaction swept through the rest of the group. There was a long pause as the fire licked up the small kindling.

"If he shows up," Tyson muttered, his stomach growling just barely as he spoke, "I call dibs on killing him."

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You guys should totally review now! :D


	11. Stepping Stones

o look an update

... I don't know, I feel like I should say more about the update, but nothing springs to mind. Except, I guess, 'thanks for the reviews'. So, thanks for the reviews. :3 LOVE YOU GUYS.

Oh, and lots of languages here. I believe we have English, Italian, and Russian. But you can handle it, you scholar you.

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**Chapter eleven - Stepping Stones**

The bridge was growing slick in the light rain. Each stone that made up it's structure gleamed lightly with the pale reflection of the sky, interrupted only when someone crossed between them. Suddenly, the gloss gave way as two feet slid over their surface, stepping thoughtlessly as their owner paced. Kai frowned impatiently across the river, eyes following the road no matter how his head turned.

"There's got to be a way across." He muttered. Behind him, he could hear Tyson and Johnny starting in on an argument. Wistfully, he closed his eyes and wished - no, _prayed_ - for selective hearing; that, or a large stick. When he opened his eyes and turned around, the two offending individuals were leaning toward each other threateningly.

"You really think now is a good time to do this, Granger?" Johnny was saying in an uneven tone, struggling to remain calm. Tyson, indignantly, leaned in closer.

"You don't even care what happens. You didn't then and you don't now."

"I'm warning you-"

"What, that you'll fly away when it gets too scary?" Tyson mocked, in a tone that suggested he was talking to a toddler. He lifted closed fists to his eyes and rotated them, as if he were wiping away tears. Johnny's fist was retracting fast, preparing to swing into Tyson's face. Tyson made to punch him too, until a stern voice interrupted them.

"Essere _tranquillo_!"

Both heads turned, with some difficulty. Johnny's hand had wrapped around Tyson's shirt collar, and Tyson had snagged hold of the Scot's jacket while they were poising to punch one another. They looked steely toward Enrique, who crossed his arms over his chest with narrowed eyes.

"Tyson, we are here because we received a letter like you. Would you have come if you had not?" The Italian asked. His accent seemed thinner compared to Oliver's, but it still took Tyson a minute to think about what he meant. That, or he was truly shocked that the suggestion was even made.

"Of course I would! That prick got two of my friends shot, and then some!"

"'And then some'. Hn." Johnny growled, releasing Tyson slowly while his opponent did the same. They glared at each other venomously.

"You wouldn't have been at all motivated, Tyson." Max piped up. "If he hadn't blown us up, you wouldn't have believed it was really him."

Tyson twisted suddenly and looked over at Max with wide, slightly offended eyes. "That's not true!"

"Shh!"

"I would have totally taken it seriously!"

"Shut _up_!"

"I mean, if there's one thing I want to do more then anything else, its-"

"_Tyson_, for the love of _god_ would you shut your mouth!" Kai barked, swooping in among them and forcing Johnny and Tyson apart. The group fell silent, startled by the force in Kai's words. The ensuing reticence seemed to still even the falling mist, as they all looked slowly toward the trees on the far end of the river. Eyes lifting to the sound of distant, muffled thrashing. It grew closer and closer, the trees shivering each time it sounded out.

No one dared to speak. Kenny, along with Hilary and Oliver, had unconsciously began to back up, but only by taking small steps at a time. Then, as quickly as it had started, the thrashing noises had stopped. Stillness returned quickly, and in the far distance Kai almost swore he could hear a dog barking. No one moved.

Nor did they have to. Suddenly, between two thick pine trees, two long metal legs shot forward out of the branches and smashed into the rocky river. Behind them, they seemed to pull out a large, flat steel body, circular and silver in the afternoon light. Five more legs followed as it advanced towards them with startling speed.

"Get back!" Kai cried. Turning and snagging hold of Johnny and Tyson, he shoving them down the bridge toward the road they had come in on. The mechanical monster stormed easily through the gray water before lifting up a leg and slamming it down onto the bridge where they had been, throwing chunks of wet rock flying. Stumbling, Kai skid to a halt and whipped out his blade thoughtlessly, loading and aiming his launcher. Before he had a chance to pull the rip cord, the rest of the group with the exception of Hilary and Kenny had done the same.

The uncertainty of the following situation engulfed all of them. And, possibly, the robot. The sudden release of energy from the fired blades, oncoming force of the machine, made the collision unnecessarily violent. The sound of crunching, tearing metal exploded along with sparks and the swirling lights of a few bitbeasts. As the initial numbing blast died away, and the blades retracted toward their owners, the robot stumbled awkwardly away from them. Its main body had been torn open, revealing a hollow cavity encased with eight inch steel walls. Inside was a mess of gears and wires, all twisting around some large heart-like structure. It had, before the attack, been pulsing a blue light, but as the machine fell still on three of its legs, and the bladers relaxed and stepped back, unaware of what was to come, the light faded.

The robot, easily ten feet tall, began to tilt backward from its perch on the edge of the bridge. The bladers watched uneasily as it fell faster and faster away from them before finally coming in contact with the other side of the bridge. It slide a little from that position, it's legs falling limp and splashing into the murky water, but it's body successfully spanned the bridge from end to end.

A long silence followed. Above their heads, in the trees, birds squeaked and fluttered and panicked. Slowly regaining a grip on the situation, Kai took stepped forward slowly, his launcher still firmly in both hands. When he reached the leg of the robot, and moved further onto the main body, the others did the same. None of them showed any sign of being calm, but the stillness was oddly unbearable.

Kai looked down into the body of the machine, eyes scanning everything as quickly as he could. He didn't want to be near it long, but it was slowly dawning on him that this was exactly Matherson's intention. He _had_ wanted to meet them there, but not on his own. It was with this.

"Is it... dead?" Kenny asked, sliding up behind Kai and standing on his tiptoes. Despite his fear, he couldn't hide his fascination.

"No Kenny." Kai muttered, putting his blade away without moving his eyes off of the thing. "Robots aren't alive to being with."

-x-x-x-

Bryan's arms ached.

Like, _ached_. He had been through worlds and worlds of pain before - galaxies of them, even. But this was just frustrating. He was cold and tired from holding onto the damn log, and the thing kept rolling in the fast moving water. He was, in fact, very slowly approaching the far bank of the river, and in the back of his mind he began thinking about actually getting out of the water. He had an incredible tolerance for temperatures, but this was getting old. He would have to dry off. Build a fire, maybe.

_I can burn the ferns_, he thought, with a bitter smirk on his face.

Despite these ponderings, Bryan's mind kept tracing back to Kevin. The kid seemed to know how to survive in the wilderness without much help, but mentally he was a wreck. And being lucid and even headed is the first key. So he was either screwed, _screwed_, or really screwed. Unless...

Bryan should have made more effort to get out of the water when he first fell in. But at the time, the current was too fast, the banks were far too steep, and he wasn't thinking about protecting the kid. He was thinking about that dog, and how much it deserved to drown. Bryan _hated_ dogs.

_"-you'd think someone-... -never really-..."_

The echo of a voice snapped his to reality. His eyes focused to a point, and they shot up to scan anywhere and everywhere to figure out was the noise was.

_"It's not like you... to be ready for it or any-...is all I'm saying."_

It was getting louder. He heard another, of a different pitch, and he quickly realized that it was a group of people. As the log bobbed around the bend, the sounds grew much more crisp and clear.

"It's not like he would care."

Bryan's eyes finally settled on a bridge - a very _makeshift_ bridge, but a bridge nontheless. There was a small group of people gathered on the far bank, looking like they had just crossed. He squinted at them for a moment before his thin lips swelled into a broad smile.

"_Zdravstvujte!_" He bellowed out in Russian, thrusting a hand into the air. After looking around in startled confusion, the faces turned toward him one by one. There was a pause, just in time for the log to bump up against the bank. Bryan finally let go of it, sinking into the cold murk before he pulled himself up onto the slippery rocks on shore. He was only a few yards from the base of the bridge, and in seconds he was scrambling up a pile of rocks to get to the group.

"Bryan?" One voice asked. It was bitter, surprised, and familiar.

"Kai! Kak požyivaješ?" He asked as he pulled himself over the ledge. A stupid smile pulled at his lips, and his back stretched out slowly. He stood about a foot and a half taller then all of them, expect for Robert. Bryan looked around breathlessly at everyone, a little surprised to see them all there.

"... What the hell are you doing here?!" Kai snapped. His anger startled Bryan and the taller Russian directed his attention back at him. For a moment he was quiet, his face blank, before he looked over his shoulder toward the water.

"Long story."

"I have time."

"He doesn't." Bryan muttered, pointing pathetically back upstream.

"Who?!"

"Malinkaya."

Kai looked at him hard for a long moment. "... Little one..." He started, translating slowly in his mind.

"What does that mean?" Tyson asked, stepping forward. "What does 'little one' mean?!"

Kai shushed him. His glare had darkened considerably, and Bryan took a half step back. Kai's teeth clenched and his shoulders lifted like a threatened hawk. The group around him seemed to sense this tension, and - despite their own confusion - stepped back and gave Kai room to make a very loud exclamation.

"Kevin is _here?!_"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Bryan deserves a metal of some kind.


	12. Root Of All Evil

Sorrysorrysorry. I have a list of legitimate excuses the length of my arm, but I'll spare you all and just update. Sorry. ; ;

Also, I hope you enjoy this, because my leg fell asleep while I wrote it and now I can't wake up. D: But that's probably karma for not updating. So. Hm.

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**Chapter Twelve - Root Of All Evil**

The soft crunch of the earth beneath his feet followed him into a clearing before vanishing with the ferns. Grass shot up around his hips and swayed in the breeze, so light it chilled him to the core and rose the hairs on his neck. He was visibly shaking now, and his shoes and pant legs refused to dry in the fog. Desperate to find some dry, wind-shielded place, Kevin lifted his eyes up and swept his gaze over the small field. Not a shelter in sight.

He had walked along the bank of the river until a steep rocky slope forced him back into the forest. Though he could hear the sounds of flowing water to his right, all he could see was trees and ferns and large rocks. In the recesses of his hazy mind, the desperate hope that Bryan could come stumbling into his path was alive and kicking, driving him onward despite the cold.

He was surely, totally, resolutely, without a doubt going to die. There was no way he was going to live through all the crap with Dickenson, and Slade, and the hostage situation, and then _this_. The universe wasn't generous to him on a _good day_, let alone right then. The swirling thoughts churned like the river he had been spare from, and each time he closed his eyes, he could see Bryan being swept away; his last real hope.

He had always frowned on those who pity themselves. After all, where did they get off? People were living with terrible illnesses and didn't pity themselves, so why should anyone living with anything less be allowed to? But as he pushed on out of the feild and up a slope, straining to find the river through the trees, the only emotion beside fear in his heart was pity. Heavy, freezing pity that dragged his spirits down to nothing. Below nothing, even: the abysm of nothing.

Lost in the process of mourning his own eventual death, Kevin didn't notice his feet were scuffing across pavement until the trees parted enough to let it a sudden burst of white light. He blinked, startled by the unexpected change in location, and looked around with widening eyes.

A huge opening was in the process of stretching out before him, boasting a mossy asphalt floor that ran across the entire area. Though dotted with ferns and weeds as the forest grew in upon it, the fencing that ran along it's boarders stood up to the majority of the trees. In it's center, a building made of cement, with a huge bay window made of deep blue plexiglass, sat abandoned and moldy. Kevin fell very still, pulling himself completely into reality and flexing his ears to listen for the sounds of whatever danger the area could be hiding.

After a long moment, he detected it: nothing. A vast, lonely feeling radiated around the abandoned work sight. Narrowing his eyes, Kevin side-stepped to a large cement cube and ducked down a bit, just to be sure.

Three seperate cranes hung over the site, two of the same size and one dwarfed in comparison. Whatever they had been used for, it seemed recent; no plant life clung to their sides or bases. Curiously, Kevin moved away from the rock and started toward the building. As he neared it, he could feel a strong wind picking up around him, driving him into the shelter with little hesitation.

"H-hello?" His voice appeared normal in volume, but shaking from the chill. Leaving the door open, he paced forward and dragged his gaze over the counter tops.

Thick black computer screens bore his reflection, log booklets lay open, a chair had been pushed back from the table. A fine layer of dust colored everything, prompting Kevin to run a finger over one of the pages and wipe some away. As he studied the grime and neglect of the room, something glinted as his shadow passed over it. Turning, Kevin curiously knelt down and plucked the small thing from the garbage on the floor.

A watch. Silver, stunning, expensive, and definitional out of place. Had a worker dropped it on his last day here, and forgotten it? Deciding that it was the only explanation there was, and it wasn't worth thinking about it further depth, Kevin stood back up and rubbed the dirt off of the watch face. To his surprise, the second arm stretched up and curved passed twelve: it was still working.

A solid _crack_ floated passed his ears. Flinching horribly, Kevin jumped around toward the huge window and looked out over the empty lot. Another came, followed by a muffled thud, both sounding far away. As the sounds continued, they grew closer, and Kevin felt himself drop down beneath the desk, out of site.

This was it: the moment in which he would die. He was sure of it. After all, if not now, when? The pity party he had been throwing for himself earlier was now gone, replaced by the racing of his heart. Closing his eyes tightly, Kevin pushed his back up against the wall, deeper into the shadows. A very faint whimper bubbled up into his throat, and for a wild moment he was glad no one else was there to hear it.

The cracks and thuds were now upon him, somewhere out on the asphalt. They had fallen into a rhythm, so constant and sure of itself that it made Kevin want to cry. Cautiously, he leaned forward and inched his head out from under the desk, his eyes frantically looking for the window.

A huge, gray monster heaved itself across the lot, scanning for signs of life or movement. It's four legs moved in a flow of motion, almost like water, but the body lugged back and forth awkwardly passed the structure. Frozen in his place, Kevin just sat and stared.

A chilling silence filled the air around him. Perhaps it had been stuck in the room for so long that it had gone stale, but Kevin could hardly stand it. Recognizing the sound of his breathing, he tried to quiet himself further, eyes following the gimp robot as it wondered away.

_I guess it missed me,_he thought, recognizing that no amount of relief had returned yet.

Somewhere behind him, the head crunching smash of the roof caving in knocked him flat onto his side. Regaining his equilibrium in a matter of seconds, Kevin threw himself to his feet and turned around, eyes wide. Another robot, bigger and darker, drew it's leg back upwards and prepared to bring it down on the structure again. Kevin screamed, turning away from the metal monster and booking it full speed out of the door he had left open.

Another smash rumbled the ground, nearly tripping him. He stumbled over the asphalt, pumping his legs harder then he ever had. The robot was slow to react, turning gradually in his direction before all at once it rose onto its legs and started after him.

Kevin lept over a mangle fence and pushed into the trees, hair flying out of his face as he ran. Blind to where he was going, he swung his arms back and forth and shot a wild look over his shoulder. The robot lumbered after him, a single red eye extending down from it's belly to scan the landscape around it. Kevin turned back around and pushed harder, each step coming as a blur. He could feel tears stinging his eyes, be them from fear or the cold wind stinging as his face.

Something whizzed passed him, lunging forward into a tree he had yet to pass. In the fraction of a second it took him to sprint past it, Kevin made out the shape of the object. It was something that had recently become familiar to him, something that he had experienced during and after the Dickenson incident. Something he had recently received in the mail.

A syringe.

Another shot passed him, just missing his neck. Another cry tumbled out of his throat as he raced into an area of particularly thick undergrowth. Huge, twisting roots began to appear around him, his feet leaping from gnarl to lump to stump. The gaps between them sank down deep beneath him, but he hardly registered them. As he was leaping up to the top of the root-hill, he checked over his shoulder one last time: the robot had stopped. It couldn't tread in this rooted area without getting caught in the huge gaps.

Triumph began to flutter somewhere deep in his heart. Kevin turned back around with every intention of running farther still when a very sharp pain hit him in the left side of his upper back. With wide eyes, Kevin stumbled and lost his footing, falling victim to the trap he had been running over. He fell awkwardly, plummeting down into the dark depths of the roots, twisting like snakes around him.

He came to land rather quickly, and along with the sudden lack of motion went the breath from his lungs. Gasping, he lay still for a moment before a terrifying numbess overtook his upper back. His eyes snapped open and his hand flew back, tugging the needle from his back at a painful angle.

Somewhere far above him, through the labyrinth of roots and vines, the white sky began to pale into darkness, fading away as Kevin's eyes peered desperately up at it. Then, with a chilling numbness, Kevin's eyes closed, and he fell from consciousness, a silver watch firmly in his grasp.

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Fhew. Done. Hopefully this will help project me back into the mood for this story, so the next update will be soon. But idk. ; ;

Please Review!


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